


Breathe fire into me

by PotatoPIerrot



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Burning Rescue Lio Fotia, Burnish Galo Thymos, M/M, Role Reversal, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26542021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatoPIerrot/pseuds/PotatoPIerrot
Summary: Liomighthave a little crush on the cute barista from the boba shop he visited recently.Only there's a catch: there's much more to Galo Thymos than what he seems.
Relationships: Lio Fotia & Galo Thymos, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 42
Kudos: 107





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> im finally!!!! starting on a role reversal au multichapter!!! gOsh 
> 
> it's really been a while since i wrote anything longer than drabs because head empty but i am!! here!!! with ideas again!!! probably not enough of it but we'll get there when we get there lmao  
> this will probably also be more lighthearted than my previous works so i hope we'll all have a good time!

Lio Fotia isn’t fearless by any means. 

After all, firefighting is a dangerous job. Fire burns. Fire consumes. Fires do not care. They're destructive, unpredictable. And in the case of Burnish flares, they’re _alive._

It takes courage to put out flames, it takes strategy. It takes many things Lio still doesn’t have and hasn’t learnt. 

It’s been about a year since Lio’s joined the FDPP, immediately assigned to the 3rd unit the moment he’d graduated from the Academy due to them being severely shorthanded at the time. He's braved through countless blazes since then, yet he still finds a slight tremor in his hands whenever he’s on the way to a scene. The sirens of the Rescue Mobile never seemed to stop sounding too loud, too piercing. 

Lio Fotia is afraid of fire. Afraid of what else they might take from him, because he knows they could never take enough. 

“Lio? Lio, are you listening?” 

He takes a sharp breath, pulled out of the lulling haze of siren wails by the Captain’s voice over the intercom. Don’t think. Don't let it register. 

“There’s people trapped in the fiftieth floor with flammable chemicals. Got it,” Lio affirms as he does a brief, habitual last-minute routine check on his Rescue Gear's controls. “I’ll get it over with quick.” 

“Be careful,” he hears Ignis say, and he grits his teeth just in time before he’s launched into the air, shot out and up at a speed that sends his stomach plunging all the way down to his feet. 

Lio crashes through the windows of the building’s fiftieth floor, immediately surrounded by a hellscape of Burnish flames. They're hostile as always the moment they sense his presence, forming into massive serpents of purple and turquoise fire –honestly too beautiful to be so destructive—and diving towards him with obvious malice. 

Lio doesn’t have the time to deal with them; the fire could reach the chemicals and cause an explosion any moment. He freezes the serpents barely batting an eye, barreling his way towards where the projection on his Gear’s windshield indicates. He's not too far now. Sweat trickles down his jaw. Five minutes. Give him five minutes. 

He tears off the door of the room where the group of researchers have been taking shelter, not even sparing the breath to yell assurances before he’s ushering them into the rescue container. His pulse pounds in his ears as he waits for the last of them to climb on, fingers gripping his handles tight enough to burn against his palms. 

“Retrieval successful, Captain,” Lio says as he hoists the container up. “Proceeding to retreat.” 

“Better hurry up, Lio,” Lucia warns just after Ignis acknowledges his update. “Things aren’t looking too good.” 

Lio knows better than to jinx it by wondering what could be worse. He charges right back into the inferno, this time not bothering to even ward off the flame serpents. His Gear can withstand at least this much heat, he’s sure. There's no choice but for it to be so. 

He makes his escape not a second too soon, barely climbing ten floors down when the fiftieth finally erupts, sending entire building quaking violently and in palpable danger of collapsing altogether. Lio near loses his grip for a moment, thrown off balance by the shockwave and the ringing in his ears. He bites his lip hard to reel himself back, using the staticky, frantic voices of his teammates as an anchor. 

“I’m fine,” he assures into his communicator, though he’s yet to be able to properly hear his own voice again. “I’m coming down now.” 

And by the universe’s mercy he does manage to eventually make the rest of the way down. He proceeds to transport the researchers a safe distance away where paramedics are on stand-by, hurrying back to the scene right after setting down the container. Lucia’s mentioning about picking up some unusual heat readings over the intercom, then as if on cue, Lio hears more explosions from the distance. 

Static. His other teammates frantically asking if everything’s alright. Ignis coming back online, his sentences choppy from interference. 

Then Lio hears what could only be described as the laughter of hooligans in the background. 

Lio heaves an exhausted sigh. _Of course_ they’d have to be there. Mad Burnish has a reputation for loving to gloat as much as they have one for setting random fires, after all. Lio really has his job cut out for him this time. 

“Lucia?” Lio waits until he gets a solid response from her before continuing, “Is Detroit good to go today?” 

“I haven’t had the time to finish fixing the bow’s mechanism,” Lucia says, her words peppered with the rapid clicks of her controls. “You’ll probably have ten shots, max.” 

“Apart from that?” Lio arrives and assesses the situation. Mad Burnish are circling around the Rescue Mobiles on their bikes, hooting and jeering and generally making a ruckus and obstructing extinguishing efforts while outnumbering Lio’s teammates three to one. They’re too fast for Lucia to handle with the Mobile’s artillery and for Ignis to land effective shots with his gun. Varys, Remi and Aina are nowhere to be seen on ground; they’re still occupied with trying to control the fire above. 

“Shouldn’t have a problem,” Lucia affirms, and Lio’s cranking the lever to shift his Gear into Detroit mode. 

Mechanisms slide and click into place with flawless transition upon activation of the suit’s alternate form, shifting its center of gravity and losing redundant pieces as it takes a sleeker, lighter appearance more suitable for combat. Lio then reaches behind the back of his Gear, detaching the rod there which he then flips a switch to have it morph into the form of a large bow. 

Lio gets into position, and draws. 

It's stiffer than usual, he notices at once as the built-in arrows respond to his motion and take shape. Lucia’s estimates are rarely ever wrong; he’s going to need to make every shot here count. 

He takes aim, and releases the first arrow. 

It soars through the air and instantly encases a Mad Burnish member in a large bloom of ice upon contact. Lio’s notching the next one while the rest are still trying to process what’s happened, successfully freezing another in place before the finally spot him. 

Lio braces himself, seeing them exchanging signs to rally. 

Then all at once, they’re charging straight towards him. 

Lio manages to pick off one more Burnish before he decides they’re getting too close. He presses another button and changes his grip on his bow, moving into another stance as his weapon shifts to next resemble a sword. He spends a second to analyze their positions and movements, then with a sharp breath, he rushes to engage them. 

He enters a daze as he always does when close combat, letting his body and instincts take over as he maneuvers through and around his opponents. Slash, duck, parry. Lio’s received a number of questions and comments about the way he fights over his months on duty, but truthfully, he’s never really figured out how to respond to them. He just does what feels right, what feels the most effective. 

When he comes to this time, all six Mad Burnish members are encased in blocks of ice. Lio’s slightly out of breath as he checks his Gear’s condition out of habit, hoping he hadn’t accidentally overdone it again. There are some gashes on the armor plating, the usual singed spots from Burnish fire—but everything else seems good enough. His weapon is still holding up as well. 

Lio turns toward the blaze in the building; it seems that his teammates have also been making good progress with that. Ignis tells him good work, and Lio’s just about to take his hands off his controls to work the knots out of his shoulders when he feels an impact against his Gear. 

Whatever hit him detonates a split second after contact, sending him staggering sideways and almost toppling onto the pavement. 

Lio grits his teeth, finding his footing again by almost the sheer force of will. Red warnings blink across his windshield, and Lio sprains to see a part of his suit’s left shoulder burnt and falling into pieces. 

And then flame serpents, even larger than those Lio had faced earlier, dive in out of seemingly nowhere to collect the frozen Burnish into their jaws. A series of slow claps follows, and Lio’s turning and notching an arrow the second he overcomes his surprise, gaze following the length of the flames until he reaches their source. 

Another Burnish seems to have just exited the building, waltzing out casually as his serpents retrieved his brethren. Lio squints, barely making out details from the distance between them, only seeing that he dons a ragged black vest unbuttoned, black pants, and the horned visor helmet signifying a Mad Burnish leader. 

_Not again,_ Lio nearly groans because Burning Rescue had just apprehended the previous leaders some months back and the stress and exhaustion from that alone had taken probably a few years off his lifespan. 

In contrast, the Burnish sure sounds like he’s having fun. 

“ _W_ _hewwww,_ you sure made that seem easy!” he whistles, voice distorted by his helmet yet somehow carrying enough for Lio to hear him clearly. “But sorry, hotshot, looks like it’s time for us to—hey!” 

He's interrupted by a sudden bloom of ice near his feet. Lio clicks his tongue. His trajectory was just a little off—it must be the unusual stiffness of his bow that’s messing with him. 

“At least let people finish talking!” the Burnish protests, to which Lio doesn’t even bother answering. He notches another arrow, pulling taut as he recalibrates him aim with the help of Lucia’s adjustments. This time, he will _not_ miss. 

He doesn’t. It would’ve once again landed right on target, if only it wasn’t intercepted by a wall of fire, far hotter than what their ice are designed to handle. Lio barely has the chance to think when the Burnish bursts out from behind the flames riding a bike he manifested, cranking it to obnoxious levels of noise as he charges towards Lio. 

Lio prepares to intercept, prepares to be out-sped and still somehow deal with it because what else is he supposed to _do_ —until the entire left arm of his Gear falls apart, and he flinches. 

The Burnish speed right past him in a blazing trail of fire, hollering victory cheers as he makes his escape. 

Lio _fumes_ , immediately moving to give chase. 

“Lio, stop!” 

And he’s halted in his tracks upon a stern order from Ignis. Let them be, the fire has priority, he’s told in a tone leaving no room for arguments. And Lio knows the Captain’s right. He's getting too worked up, he's losing rationality. He clenches his fists, forces the roar of blood in his ears to subside. 

He glares toward the direction where Mad Burnish had disappeared to for just a moment more, then spitting a curse, he turns around and heads to help finish up their job for the day. 

**xXx**

“How’s that feeling?” 

Lio draws an arrow from his bow, trying to gauge the extent of improvement Lucia’s service had made on it. It feels much easier to use than the last time even in its down-sized mode; the string fiber more flexible, the overall weight of the bow more stable in his hands. 

“Like it’s new,” Lio marvels, eternally impressed by Lucia’s mechanical skills. Lucia smiles wryly and crosses her arms. 

“Good. You’re gonna have to be relying only on that for a while,” she says, then gesturing to Lio’s Gear behind her in the garage. “We won’t be able to do much with Detroit until the new parts arrive.” 

“It’ll do,” Lio assures; his specialty has always been the bow and arrow from the start, anyway. “Thanks, Lucia.” 

“Anytime,” Lucia says, slipping her goggles back over her eyes before turning to saunter off. “Now back to work!” 

“Aina’s asked me to go with her to get some bubble tea later,” Lio calls after her, remembering at the nick of time. “What would you like?” 

Lucia responds to just get her whatever, and knowing she’s now already too distracted to pay him attention any longer, Lio hurries off in search for Aina. 

It’s Aina’s idea to check out the new shop that’s recently opened just down the block from the station, thinking it could be a nice treat for the team after that hell of a fire they had to put out two days ago. The higher-ups had a lot to say about them failing to capture the new Mad Burnish boss as well, and while none of them has outwardly voiced their complaints about it, Lio knows everyone’s high-strung. Arsonist Burnish always pose more danger when they’re in groups; they become more daring, fearless. Even more so if they have a charismatic leader to head the way. It'll be the start of another manhunt for the new Boss. 

Lio has never quite understood the point of Mad Burnish setting all those whimsical fires. They’re only giving the rest of the Burnish people a bad reputation, further feeding the stereotype that they are inherently dangerous just because they have the ability to control flames while the majority do not. Sure, perhaps setting things aflame does create a sense of unexplainable satisfaction, but is doing it at such a destructive scale really worth possibly endangering the rest of your people in the long run? 

“What did Lucia say she’d want?” Aina asks once Lio’s caught up to her and they’re setting out on their way to the shop. Lio shrugs as he trudges on, taking a moment to enjoy the mundane tranquility around him; the feel of the late morning sunlight on his skin, the sounds of traffic along the road. It’s not every day that he gets to talk casual strolls in the middle of a shift like this. 

“She says anything’s fine.” Lio tears his gaze away from the puppy going out on a walk with its owner just passing them to look at Aina while he speaks. “We could just get her one of their signatures?” 

“Can’t go wrong with that, she likes anything as long as they’re sweet anyways,” Aina agrees with a little snicker. “What about you, Lio? Any preference in mind?” 

“I’m not really in the mood for anything too rich so maybe I'll just get some fruit tea,” Lio says, then halting in his steps at the sight that greets him. “That’s, uh, if we even get to order at all..?” 

Aina follows his gaze towards the line of people spanning three shop lots from their targeted bubble tea place, and lets out a groan. Lio understands her disappointment; he was really looking forward to sipping on something cold and sweet and refreshing, too. Still, they should’ve expected this, the craze never really had signs of going away even after all this while. The place is probably also having some sort of opening promotion, so of course people would be scrambling to have a try for themselves over the weekend. 

“Maybe we should just go to another place,” Aina suggests, already looking around to see what alternatives they have. Lio agrees, not quite wanting to return empty handed after all their anticipation. He fishes out his phone and does a quick search, knowing there’s sure to be some other shop nearby. They seem to be everywhere regardless of competition. 

He eventually finds one with decent reviews located just a little further down the street, past the first junction. Aina, with no better ideas in mind, easily goes along with it. 

So they make their way there, and to their relief, finds it with a more reasonable queue despite most of the tables inside being occupied. Lio goes over the menu with Aina as they get in line, trying to decide on what to get. Lio’s going for the peach tea, Aina’s getting the matcha latte, and since the rest of the team can’t really be bothered as long as it’s Aina’s treat, they’ll just get them each the signature brown sugar milk tea. 

Aina receives a call while they’re later waiting for their order to be prepared, and Lio soon finds himself scrolling through his phone alone while she leaves to answer it outside where it’s a little quieter. With just a couple of other customers with singular orders ahead of theirs, it doesn’t take long until Lio’s number is beeped through the prompter and he’s stepping out to collect the drinks. 

“Oh, you’re part of the FDPP?” 

Lio glances up at the crew member, not even sure if he’d actually been spoken to because it’s so unexpected. His attention is immediately drawn to the blue hair first, shaved on the sides and spiked in a way that’s almost comical yet strangely suiting the person it belongs to. Lio’s gaze then travels a little further down to see the staff’s face and um. 

Okay. He's kind of... 

_C_ _ute_. 

“I’m sorry?” Lio manages, just in case he really hadn’t heard right or something. Get it together, Lio Fotia. 

“Your jacket,” the guy repeats with a vague indicative motion, eyes bright with curiosity, “you’re part of the FDPP?” 

“Ah,” Lio’s suddenly a little too aware that he might’ve been staring and almost frantically averts his gaze. “Yeah, our HQ’s just down the block.” 

Wait, did he really need to say that, though? Oof. 

“Cool, cool!” Then as Lio dares to risk one final glance at him, he sees him offering him an encouraging grin. “Thanks for all your hard work!” 

Lio can’t help but offer a slight smile in return, a little touched by the sudden appreciation. “Thank you.” 

And as they’re on the way back to the station, Lio catches himself lowkey hoping that the drinks would taste good enough for him to have an excuse to return. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay wow this took much longer than i thought it would _(:D so sorry for the wait everyone!!! brain been pretty empty lately,,,

Lio, to his own disappointment, did not find the peach tea particularly special. 

It was fragrant, at the very least. And the caffeine has just the right kick. It's just...a little on the sweet side? Okay, maybe a lot on the sweet side. Lucia definitely loved her drink. The bitterness from Aina’s matcha helped balance out its overall taste. The rest had some wide eyes and raised eyebrows upon their first sips. 

Still, it’s not bad enough for Lio to want to avoid the place the rest of his life. Maybe he can try for an order with less sugar the next time? Not that he thinks he’ll have the chance to do so soon and— 

“Lio, you’re about to miss your mug by about a mile.” 

Lio’s snapped out of his daze by a sharp clap on his shoulder from Remi, and he only registers what he means when he sees that he’s _this_ close to pouring his coffee directly onto the countertop. He quickly fixes his aim, frowning hard at his mug like it’s _its_ fault that he almost made an embarrassing mess. 

“You can always talk to us if something’s bothering you,” Remi offers, sounding genuinely concerned that Lio seems to be unusually out of it. 

“No, it’s not a big deal, really,” Lio assures because it shouldn’t be. It ridiculous that he’s even getting distracted over something so insignificant when there are more important things to direct his time and energy towards—especially now knowing Mad Burnish has once again gained a new leader. They’ll have to start tracking him down soon, start paying more attention to potential target locations for arson. They must not be allowed to mobilize. 

“If you say so.” Remi doesn’t sound entirely convinced, but he doesn’t pry. “The offer still stands, though.” 

“Thanks.” Lio then slightly jiggles the jug he’s holding. “Coffee? There should be just enough left for another mug.” 

Remi shrugs, accepting his offer. The two spend a silent moment in the pantry simply huffing into their mugs, trying to cool their drinks down enough to take careful sips. The wall fan in the lounge buzzes extra loudly whenever it turns a specific direction and sends the weighed-down papers on the desks flapping in place. It's quiet enough that they can faintly hear Lucia’s muffled laughter from the nap room upstairs as she indulges in whatever random online content she’s managed to stumble across this time. 

This is the sort of tranquility of night shifts that Lio really enjoys. 

He heads to the rooftop once he’s finished his coffee and cleaned up, leaving with a casual reminder from Remi to not fall asleep there again. Lio climbs the stairs and reaches the top, pushing heavy doors open to be greeted by a sea of black. 

The stars aren’t visible tonight—though it’s not like they’re normally all that easy to see either thanks to the ever-present city lights. It’s the moon that Lio’s spotted earlier when he happened to glance out a window; a bright, pale yellow orb seemingly hanging low enough in the sky for him to simply reach out and touch at the height he’s at. 

He takes a breath, savoring the air from the breeze blowing towards him as he casts his gaze afar. Even in this time of the night, the city doesn’t seem to sleep. Music echoes from somewhere in the distance, some stray cats are having a fight in some alley. There's a short revving of bikes. Even along the streets within the station’s proximity, where most—if not every—shop should be closed by midnight, Lio spots people walking about, heading somewhere yet seemingly nowhere. 

He pulls his jacket just a little tighter around himself and sighs, relishing the moment. 

And he nearly jumps when the sirens suddenly blare to life. 

Lio’s bolting downstairs in an almost conditioned response, mentally taking note of all the information recited through the speakers by a computerized voice, sent directly from the site of fire via compulsory built-in detectors as part of Promepolis’ centralized fire alert system. A residential house at the south district, approximately three kilometers from base. No particularly flammable substances reported. Cause of fire: Burnish flares. 

Lio would not be able to participate directly in the extinguishing part of the mission, with his Gear still awaiting repairs. They have a spare one in store but Lio, to his frustration, can’t seem to pilot it half as smoothly as he can with his own—to the point where Ignis agrees that he would be of more effective help without it. 

A residential fire isn’t usually a particularly difficult job, fortunately. Only Remi, Lucia and Lio himself are dispatched, with Remi in charge of the brunt of the work while Lio and Lucia deal with support in whatever way they can. 

Lucia sends out a drone the moment they’re close enough to the scene, promptly processing whatever information she can glean and giving out instructions to guide the others. The flames seem to have originated from the first floor and have spread downstairs, but fortunately not yet to adjacent houses. Most neighbours seemed to have evacuated from their homes nonetheless, just as according to standard safety procedures taught to them during periodic neighbourhood fire drills. 

Things look under control—until Lucia’s drone detects the presence of two people within the fire. 

Lio and Remi are leaping out of the Rescue Mobile before it’s even come to a proper stop; Remi diving right into the blaze in his Gear while Lio prepares to deliver first aid and handle crowd control. 

It's not difficult to discern who had been inside the house when the fire started and who are merely bystanders. Lio hurriedly approaches the group of three covered in soot and huddled together, obviously still shell-shocked at whatever had just transpired. They’re a pair of parents with a child around ten to twelve years old. Lio tries to assure them that they’re safe, that the FDPP is here to help. Asks if they’re hurt anywhere, carefully scans over their limbs to make sure they really are fine when they respond negative. 

“But our daughter,” the mother manages to stammer, voice choked with barely restrained panic. “She’s still inside!” 

“My teammate’s getting her out of there,” Lio assures, noting the sporadic crystalline bursts from Remi’s ice bullets behind him as he tamed the fire. He knows he’s holding back; he has to be extra mindful about preserving the building’s integrity while there are still people inside, lest everything collapses around them. “Just give him a moment m—” 

“No, you don’t understand!” The lady clutches Lio’s arms, increasingly frantic as she digs her fingers into his jacket sleeves. “There’s this young man, he just—” 

She doesn’t manage to finish her sentence, cut off by the sudden roar of serpents erupting from the blaze. The hairs on Lio’s neck instantly stand on their ends, and on instinct, he turns around. 

And he feels his stomach sink as Lucia manages to intercept the fire just in time, freezing it in place barely a foot away from him. Lio swallows thickly, hearing multiple screams around him. It seems that he’s not the only one suddenly attacked by the flares—but what happened? It wasn’t this aggressive before, did something— 

“Someone’s leaving the house!” Lucia’s voice fizzles through his earpiece, nearly drowned out by the shattering of ice all around them. Lio grits his teeth, willing his body to move and look towards the house’s front door, peering through the flames to see two figures indeed shuffling their way out into the open. 

Why aren’t they with Remi? Lio doesn’t have time to wonder. He gets on his feet and rushes over, expecting either of them to collapse any moment from the heat and smoke and having to bodily carry them to safety. 

Except they don’t. 

The pair are engulfed in flames that look different from the usual Burnish flares, a shade of teal instead of the bright blues, pinks and yellows. It looks completely harmless on them—almost looking protective, even, shielding them from the raging fire of the house. The young man has a hand on the girl’s shoulder as he walks her out. 

It finally clicks: these two are Burnish. The girl must’ve either just awakened as one, or lost control. 

Lio watches the flames flicker and dance, subconsciously mesmerized, before they abruptly retreat back into the young man’s body like it’s where they belong. 

Lio could've sworn he hears the faintest sound of giddy, child-like laughter as it happens. 

“Hey, you’re...” 

Lio glances up, and, in a moment of what feels to him like pure absurdity, finds himself face to face with the staff from the bubble tea place. 

**xXx**

Burnish are actually people who’ve undergone a sudden, unexplained mutation, many a result of extreme stress. 

The girl was a university student, apparently just about overwhelmed with exams and papers to write and under a lot of pressure to perform well to maintain her scholarship. There could’ve been more factors building up to her awakening; Lio did not and was not obliged to pry. There are more than enough similar cases, people driven to the limits of what they can emotionally and mentally bear by their circumstances and randomly bursting into flames. 

The girl sustained no injuries from the event, but she was still sent to the hospital to get checked just in case, and later on she’d be introduced to a mental help program to hopefully provide her the support she needs. Once all that’s settled, she’d be registered for classes to teach her how to keep her fire under control so there hopefully wouldn’t be more unfortunate accidents. Her family will be staying in a shelter in the meantime while they settle matters concerning their house. 

The young man, on the other hand, had been in the area by sheer coincidence on his way back home when he’d seen the explosion of fire in the house. The madman had then barged right in, evacuated the rest of the family, and stayed with the girl until he could convince her that the fires wouldn’t hurt her and that the rest of her family is safe. It's after she’d managed to calm down that they’d then left the house, and the remaining flames allowed themselves to be put out. 

He’d insisted he’s completely fine when asked and had slipped off soon after handing over the girl to Lio’s care. 

Lio can’t help but wonder if he’ll ever consider joining the FDPP—that sort of courage and resistance to fire is exactly what they need—but he digresses. 

They manage to wrap things up within the next hour, and thankfully there’s no other incident until Lio clocks off the next morning. He heads home just as dawn breaks and the rising sun colors the sky with a gradient of yellows and blues. Lio barely notices this, though, dead set on simply making it to his bathroom to take a shower and then pass out for the rest of his long-awaited day off. 

He wakes up starving some time in the afternoon, and even then he’s trying to convince himself that a human being can last a solid number of days without food just so he wouldn’t have to get out of bed. He does eventually manage to drag himself up, though, only when the hunger and dehydration begins gnawing at him. Lio groans as he shuffles his way to the pantry to put together some cereal and milk. 

He lets out a huge yawn before scooping a spoonful into his mouth, staring absently at his fridge as he crunches on the lightly sugared bits. He’ll have to do some grocery shopping later; the remaining ingredients he has wouldn’t last him until his next break day. Lio ponders over what he should get while he slurps up the last of the milk in his bowl, then later briefly cleaning it up and heading back to bed with his phone in hand. 

He spends the next hour or so mindlessly scrolling through his social media feed and watching whatever’s on his recommended list on Y*utube. Lio used to be bothered by how he seems to only be able to laze his way through days when he’s off duty, but he’s proud to say that he's mostly gotten over it. Although being part of Burning Rescue does not necessarily mean there’s always an emergency to tend to, they must always be ready to drop everything and rush out when need be. Carrying out rescue missions and dealing with Mad Burnish when they pop up are one thing, but the constant anticipation for alerts wears them down almost just as much. Lio doesn’t always have the chance to simply let his guard down like this, and he’s gradually learnt to appreciate the quiet, insignificant moments he has when he can just pass the hours idly in his apartment. 

It’s almost six in the evening by the time he works up the motivation to prepare going out. He changes out of his jammies, nearly forgets to brush his teeth, and bunches his hair into a hair tie because he can’t really be bothered to untangle it at the moment. He then pockets his phone and wallet, scoops up his keys and a couple of reusable bags from the little basket on his shoe rack, and with a final sweep of his gaze across his room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything important, he heads out. 

To be clear, Lio still hasn’t figured out what he’d like to eat for the next week. Then again, it wouldn’t be much different from the usual meals he could whip up either within thirty minutes or cook in a large batch so he can just store them in the fridge and have whenever he needed. He’ll just have to get some meat, fruits, some fresh cartons of milk. He's run out of bread too, he remembers. He could get some canned tuna to make some quick snacks while he’s at it. 

The supermarket is close enough to Lio’s apartment for him to walk there and back. Plus it’s the best option since rush hour is still ongoing at this point. Crowds of people gather at bus stops, the roads almost packed with slow-moving traffic. Lio spots students in uniforms chattering loudly in groups, adults in various types of work attire carrying their own bags of groceries. In the distance, a train rattles by. 

Lio spends a moment to bask in the mundanity of it all. 

He's greeted by a familiar playlist and a blast of air conditioning the moment he enters the supermarket. Lio eyes the growing queues at the check-out counters as he makes his way to the aisles, and decides not to dawdle too much before the crowds get bigger. He briskly heads to the usual sections and fills his basket, grabbing himself some bags of chips in the last minute when he spots the discount labels on the racks. He'd planned to look around and see what else could be on sale, but guess he’d just have to save that for the next time. 

Lio walks out about forty minutes later, heavy bags in hand, and pauses in his tracks. 

And finds himself going a different direction than that leading home, a slight, subconscious spring in his steps as he moves closer towards the city center. It takes maybe fifteen minutes and one wrong turning before he finally reaches a street that’s still just vaguely familiar. It'd been midafternoon the last time he was properly here and not just passing by, the sun almost too bright in his eyes and blinding when reflected off the many white-washed walls. Now it’s pleasantly buzzing with activity, the incoming night illuminated with bright lights and loud music. 

Lio doesn’t plan to properly go into the shop. He’ll just have a look while walking past, just to make sure the guy’s doing okay after that fire. Just be natural, Fotia. Don’t stare, don’t try too hard. At least it’s probably a busy time now and he won’t have the time to notice every passerby and— 

The shop is quiet, with the staff crouching behind the counter scrolling through their phones. By sheer dumb luck, Lio’s eyes somehow almost immediately meet with those belonging to the one with spiky blue hair. 

Sees an excited grin bloom across his face. 

“Mr Firefighter!” 

Lio _hates_ the way his heart does a little flip at the address. 

“Oh, hey,” Lio manages to respond casually enough ( _god_ at least he hopes so), stopping to watch the guy maneuver his way over from his workstation. He's suddenly very aware of the fact that he hasn’t combed his hair. “You doing okay after everything?” 

“Yeah, it wasn’t anything serious, really,” Boba boy assures with a scratch of his cheek. He then spots Lio’s groceries. “Went shopping today?” 

Lio hums his affirmation, trying not to grow overly conscious of the crinkling of his bags of chips next. “Won’t be off until sometime next week after this.” 

“That’s a shame. Thought I’d treat you to a cup, but guess it’s not exactly the most convenient for you at the moment, huh?” 

Lio raises his eyebrows at the sudden mention of a treat. “There’s really no need, though?” 

“Please, just take it as a token of appreciation. For taking care of a fellow Burnish sister yesterday.” Boba boy then frowns. “Or maybe you’re the type who considers that sort of hour ‘this morning’.” 

Lio, the absolute fool he is, finds himself charmed from that statement alone. “I’ll drop by some other time, then? I’ll see if I’ll be free to visit after work tomorrow.” 

“Cool, cool! I’ll keep an eye out for you!” 

“Thanks,” Lio says, then realization belatedly dawns him. “By the way, I don’t think I’ve ever caught your name?” 

“Oh, right.” Boba boy lets out a sheepish laugh as though it hadn’t occurred to him as well. He slips his hands into his pockets, leans his weight back slightly. Relaxed, casual. “It’s Galo. Galo Thymos.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive been working on this for so long that i dont want to look at it anymore, please take this in all its imperfect flow glory fa;skdfjasd

Lio checks his phone the moment he reaches home and sets down his groceries, having felt it vibrate against his thigh while he was walking. 

It’s a text from Galo—they'd exchanged numbers earlier, much to Lio’s grudging giddiness. It’s short, peppered with so many exclamation marks and emojis that Lio can just about hear his excitement from where he is. 

_“Wait lio sorry!!!! I just remembered that im off the whole day tomorrow!! Tho u can just let my co-workers kno if u still wanna drop by, ive already left them a message 💪💪💪”_

Lio unconsciously smiles while he types his reply, telling him not to worry about it and that he’ll see what he’ll do (though he’s already made up his mind to only go when Galo’s around; it’d be rather awkward to just show up and ask for a free drink by himself). He could somewhat tell that Galo had been exercising some restraint when they spoke at the shop, trying to come across as casual when a sort of excitable energy had been practically rolling off him in waves. It's cute, but _what does this mean_. Is he like this with everyone or is Lio just kind of getting ahead of himself and baselessly getting his hopes up? 

He sighs, running his hand over his face when it suddenly dawns him. What is he doing. It isn’t that deep. It’s just a _text_. Get a grip. 

Lio tries to banish the entire matter from his mind, instead spending the rest of his night trying to savour the remainder of his rest while simultaneously psyching himself up to return to work tomorrow. Lucia’s contacted him earlier about Detroit’s replacement parts finally arriving and that she’ll have everything fixed by the end of the day. Lio will just have to test it out to make sure everything’s in order, and it’ll be good to go again. 

It’s a huge relief, really. Lio hates the sort of helplessness he feels in the face of a fire he has no power to extinguish, not without his Gear. The standard FDPP uniform is fire-resistant, sure, but only so much. Running headlong into a Burnish blaze without a Gear might as well be suicide, especially for him. Especially whenever circumstances force him to confront flames without armored protection, Lio is always almost paralyzed with fear. 

Ironic, that a qualified firefighter would be immobilized by the one thing he’s trained to handle. But it is what it is. It’s why Lio prefers to use the bow and arrow. It’s why he’s gotten so good at piloting his Gear, and also so dependent on it. 

It’s enough to get the job done, nonetheless. Lio even finds a sense of comfort within the cramped cockpit when he climbs in for a test drive the next day, the faded scent of a stale potpourri he’d left there by now a familiar welcome. He goes through the usual routines, testing for flexibility, fluidity of motion. Draws some arrows with his bow. Doesn't seem to be any problems. 

Within Detroit, Lio feels invincible. 

And it’s back not a day too soon. The sirens blare to life just as Lio’s helping Lucia with some final tune-ups. Lio listens as he slips his arms into the sleeves of his jacket: an explosion of Burnish flames, a large corporate building. One of the top floors, the cause yet unknown—though the possibilities aren’t too many. Headquarters of large companies are usually equipped with state-of-the-art automated extinguishing systems designed to deal with accidents ranging from unfortunate sneezes to flare of tempers. Either someone has had a violent Awakening in the middle of work, or it’s Mad Burnish. 

Either way, Lio’s prepared to handle it. His hands aren’t shaking as much for once, his relief from having Detroit finally repaired overpowering his usual anxiety. He has a feeling he’d do well today. 

He studies the scene of fire projected on Lucia’s multiple screens within the Rescue Mobile once they’re close enough to receive visuals. The fire has spread rapidly this time, with nearly half the building already in flames. The top floors are almost entirely covered by smoke, a cloud so dense that Lio spots lightning flashing within. 

Lio takes a breath, gathers his nerves. It's going to be a tough one. He has no choice but to do well. 

Aina flies ahead for a closer survey of the situation, reporting people trapped within certain rooms in certain floors, though it seems that many have managed to make their escape while it wasn’t too late. The 98th floor has the strongest heat readings—it's probably the root of the flames. There’s a group of people trapped at the rooftop, Aina’s visual preceptors detect something else. Massive heat signatures hiding behind clouds of smoke and lightning. 

“Captain, I think they’re here.” 

The atmosphere within the Rescue Mobile tenses. Lio feels his heart starting to race. This is it, this is his chance. He’s still sour over the previous encounter, and now he itches for self-redemption. 

“I’ll handle them,” Lio says, confident that he can, surely. There’s a thoughtful pause before Ignis sighs. 

“Hold them back so they can’t interfere while we’re getting the people out,” he says. “But remember that our priority is still rescue work.” 

“Of course,” Lio responds, despite knowing full well he’s probably going to let himself get carried away this time, now that he’s got a personal score to settle with the Burnish Boss. He gets into position as Ignis relays the rest of their orders—Lio’s to be sent to the very top to clear the smoke and make sure the people trapped there are able to board Aina’s aircraft to safety, Remi and Varys are to handle the ones trapped a few floors lower and back Lio up if he still needs it by the time they’re done, Lucia’s to freeze up empty floors with artillery. 

And then with a curt warning from Lucia, Lio’s shot up, clenching his teeth as his ears pop and stomach drops. He squeezes his eyes close and counts the seconds, opening them just as he passes a fog of smoke and makes his landing not too long later. 

He can barely see two feet in front of him, thunder rumbling all around him like a storm. There’s no time to be intimidated. Lio sets down the fan-like device he’d carried up with him and activates it to disperse the smoke for Aina to land and proceed with the rescue. Then he stands ready, this time having already shifted his Gear into Detroit mode. 

He sees them soon enough; three figures lounging languidly by the edge of the rooftop. They’re all too large to look human, having assumed their own armored forms. Lio recognizes the two at the sides as the right-hand men of the former leader: a lanky one in blue-accented armor, and the other a hulking red-hued beast. The one in the middle isn’t familiar to him, but Lio can make an educated guess based on the three horns. 

Black has always been Mad Burnish’s preferred color, a tradition of sorts passed down from one generation of arsonists to the next. Every member Lio has ever faced, every leader he’s ever seen in person and past records—they all don black even when armored with flames. 

But the current Boss wears white. 

On the head is the familiar three-horned visor helmet, the body decked with what looks like multicolored armor plating in a style resembling that worn by historical warriors in the far East. A garland of strips made from... are those also flames? — loops around his neck like an eccentric scarf. A little out of place for that piece, but _okay_. Lio isn’t in the position to judge others for self-indulgent mech designs. 

Lio unlatches his weapon from his back, bracing for battle even though he knows that Mad Burnish, for some reason, will not make a move while rescue efforts are ongoing. Even since the group is formed, it seems to be some policy of theirs. They can cause disastrous damage with their flames, they can be the world’s biggest nuisance—but they will never deliberately try to endanger lives if they can help it. They always seemed to have provided a time window and paths for escape, allowing most civilians to evacuate to safety before throwing away all restraint. Still trying to preserve some sort of moral standing even when they’re already causing so much trouble. 

It doesn’t stop them from regularly goading Burning Rescue on when they have the chance, though. 

Which is _fine_ by Lio. He thinks he does rather enjoy watching their frustration when Burning Rescue successfully arrests them. 

He arms his sword as Aina reports their completion of rescue at the rooftop—there's too little space and he knows his opponents are too fast for his arrows to be utilized well. Then as Aina leaves, Lio turns to face Mad Burnish, and beckons them to come get him. 

The two on the side charge toward him with a bellow of their bike engines, laughing and cheering like it’s all just a game to them. Lio shifts on his feet, gauging their speed, distance. He’s fought them before; they’ve always preferred to use raw flames over fashioned weapons. He steps up to engage them in combat with that in mind. 

The secret is to out-speed, move even half a second faster than the flames could reach. Those two tend to use brute force, utilizing Burnish Flares so hot that Lio doubts even Detroit could handle a direct hit without serious damage—but they’re can be avoided as long as he knows where and how to move. He skirts around the columns of fire blasted his way, twisting and turning and dashing. Almost in a sort of dance, though he’s sure if he even starts _thinking_ about it he’d be dizzy from all the movement. Two against one is still pretty tough, much as he loathes to admit. 

And all the while, the Boss only lounges on his throne, and watches. 

Lio finds his opening, ducking in to slash at the red one while he's drawing back from letting loose a particularly massive blast of flame that Lio narrowly avoided, singeing part of his Gear while he’s at it. The blade of his weapon isn’t sharp enough to cut through Burnish armor, but a touch of it is enough to start a chain freeze reaction trapping a Burnish in ice. The hotter they burn, the denser the ice solidifies. 

That’s one down. 

Blue takes his eyes off him for a second, flustered as Red’s out of action. Lio snaps at the chance, leaping in and swinging his sword, feeling metal clash against artificial flesh. Resistance, then none. A series of rapid crystalline bursts. 

That’s two. 

Lio straightens, body now buzzing with adrenaline as he confronts his final opponent. The Boss still maintains an unbothered air, and as good as Lio feels over being able to handle the previous two without too much trouble, he knows this one is never to be underestimated. 

“Not using bow and arrows today, hotshot?” The Boss sits upright, leaning back and crossing his legs. “Look, I’ll even sit still this time to let you land some!” 

Lio doesn’t understand how this bastard's so good at getting at his nerves. His entire demeanor pisses him off. 

“Come here and fight me yourself,” Lio grits out, then forcing the annoyance back with a sharp breath. This isn’t the time to let his emotions cloud his judgement. “Or are you too scared to do it, matchstick?” 

“ _Matchstick?_ ” For a second there, the Boss sounds genuinely surprised at the nickname. “How cute.” 

“If it’s talking you want instead, then we can settle this quickly,” Lio says, though he remains tensed for further combat. “Just turn yourself in, and we can have a nice long chat afterwards.” 

“Hmm. Tempting. But I think I'd prefer duking it out.” 

Of course it couldn’t be that easy. Lio tightens his grip. “Then bring it on.” 

A giant serpent crashes onto him out of nowhere, Lio barely jamming his sword between its jaws in time before it swallows him whole. There’s no revving of a bike this time—instead he hears...children’s laughter? He breaks free and spins around just as a blade of solid flames slams against his own, the force so heavy that Detroit protests from the strain. Lio clenches his teeth and uses all his strength to parry, the scrape of metal against metal screeching into his ears. But there’s no time to flinch, the second blow already swinging towards him before he can take the next breath. 

Their weapons clash, over and over in what feels like a deadlock. But Lio knows he can’t lose focus for even a second, zeroing in on any opening he’s struggling to find. Detroit is not built for drawn-out battles of strength. The Burnish Boss must still have a ton of other tricks up his sleeve; Lio is more than wary of his explosives, his serpents. But those are common enough, he must still be holding back. What else can he do with his flames? Lio can’t afford to stay to find out. Burnish’s weak spots are their neck and wrists. There must be some way he can— 

_Clang!_

Lio’s sword is forced out of his hand in a strike that reverberates all the way to the cockpit. He doesn’t even have the chance to be surprised, the Burnish grabbing Detroit by the neck and slamming him against the ground, knocking the air straight out of Lio’s lungs. He then straddles Detroit and pins him down with his weight, tip of his sword pointed directly where Lio sits within his Gear. 

“Not so confident anymore are ya now, hotshot?” 

Lio considers climbing out just to spit at him. “I’ll kill you.” 

“Bold words coming from someone shaking in fear in there,” the Boss taunts as he stoops lower to peer into the cockpit. Lio’s fingers slowly curl around his gun; his windshield is made of tinted glass, he won’t be able to see him until he’s too close. Lio’s got to get the timing just right, just at that moment he lets his guard down. He breathes, counting. Three, two... 

The Burnish stills for a split second. Lio snaps open his windshield, takes aim and pulls the tr— 

A barrage of ice blasts into the Boss, though even that isn’t enough to freeze him, only melting right off his skin. Lio wasn’t the one who’d shot. He hears his teammates yell his name, then Varys barrels over in his Gear and smashes a reinforced fist square against the Burnish’s jaw. 

“Lio! You okay!?” 

He doesn’t even get the chance the answer, his response cut short by the loud hiss of supercooling agent. He turns, realizing that Varys had successfully planted a rapid-freeze grenade onto the Boss’ skin, right on his neck. Lio finds vicious gratification as the Burnish finally loses his arrogance, cussing violently as he claws at his neck and tries to burn faster and hotter than the ice could freeze so he could rip free from the device. 

Remi helps Lio back on his feet, Lio only just assuring that he’s alright when a ring of massive flames erupts around them and traps them in place. Remi reacts immediately, dispatching a few extra heavy-duty ice bullets to counter. Ice blooms in giant crystals and shatter in succession. 

But even before the dust and steam has cleared, Lio knows it’s already too late. He curses under his breath. They were so frustratingly close. 

Mad Burnish has made their escape. 

**xXx**

They scoured the surrounding area after that; if the Boss hadn’t been able to completely remove the rapid-freeze he could’ve eventually ended up as a human popsicle somewhere. 

But Mad Burnish is nowhere to be found, almost as though vanished into thin air once more. 

Lio’s entire body hurts from their battle, every hit he took and defended from the Boss heavy enough to bypass even Detroit’s shock-absorbers. He’s frustrated, too, because even after all that it still feels like he’d gone easy on him. The current leader of Mad Burnish is much stronger than the few Lio has faced in the past, even with the true extent of his abilities still largely unknown. It’s frustrating—because Lio’s starting to realize he’s been stupidly full of himself despite having a long way to go. 

His team tries to tell him not to be too discouraged, that they’ve expected the capture to take some time anyway and what’s important is that they’ve managed to gather some data that would be of help the next time they face off. In fact, Lucia’s already drafting upgrades to implement on their Gears for the future. The rescue ended with zero fatalities and very low casualties. Overall, the mission had been a success. 

Despite Lio’s damaged pride. 

He returns home later that day, exhausted to the bone but also tempted to either scream or destroy something. He flops down onto his couch without even taking a shower, heaving a sigh as he just. Lies there. Head full of static, chest heavy with a weight he can’t put a name to. It suddenly feels like there’s so much to do, yet so much he can’t do. 

He _really_ could use that free cup of bubble tea right about now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also really just vagued on galo's mech design f;akjsdfasd wanted to let him keep matoi tech like how lio has detroit here but then i realized i said he had a helmet with three horns in the first chapter so wELP 
> 
> hope the flow really wasnt as bad as it feels like to me tho,,, battle scenes are hard to write but why did no one tell me the aftermath isnt always that much easier too _(:D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a calm and short chapter this time!! ft. galo who might or might not be making some advances and lio who's just trying his Best to keep it together hhh

Galo’s making some crème brulee when Lio finally finds the time to stop by. 

He doesn’t notice him at first, too focused on his task to pay attention anywhere else. Lio quietly stands back feeling just a little awkward, trying not to disrupt the flow of people as he watches him work. Instead of using a blowtorch to caramelize the sugared layer above the custard, Galo’s sticks out his finger and uses his own flames. 

It’s almost a comical sight, but Burnish flames being used that way is not uncommon in this time and day. The Burnish are generally allowed to use their fire to suit their daily purposes. Many who have trained enough to have relatively good control of their power often integrate it into their lives, utilizing them in various job sectors that require a good grasp of temperature control and high heat tolerance. The pizza from one diner downtown is one of Lio’s favourites, in fact, courtesy of the unique baking technique of the Burnish chef in charge of them. 

Galo soon finishes up with his crème brulee, stopping a moment to straighten his apron before he steps out to serve it to a customer. Lio watches him greet them with a bright grin as he proudly announces the arrival of their order. The weight on his chest that’s been steadily growing ever since his face-off with Mad Burnish’s leader starts to fade ever so slightly. 

Lio takes a quick glance around, making sure the coast really is clear. Then with a sharp breath to steel his nerves, he calls out just loud enough. 

“Galo!” 

Galo turns at the sound of his voice, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Lio! You’re here!” 

Lio offers a lopsided smile. “Is it a good time?” 

“Oh, sure, don’t worry about it!” Galo gestures him to an empty table at a corner. “Why don't you take a seat first? And what can I get you? Any particular requests?” 

Lio’s just a tad overwhelmed by the immediate barrage of questions, but he manages to take a seat and answer without stumbling. “Something not too sweet would be nice. What would you recommend?” 

Galo hums softly in thought. “How about something yoghurty? I think the mixed berry one’s pretty solid.” 

Sounds good enough to Lio. “I’ll give that a try, then.” 

“Cool, be right back!” Galo then hurries back over to the counter, jovially telling his co-workers to make way for him as he maneuvers around them. Lio takes a breath and notices he’s been tensing his shoulders the entire while Galo was around him. At this point he really can’t tell if he’s nervous or plain excited. 

He takes the chance to observe his surroundings while he waits, spending a moment to bask in the environment. A sweet scent wafts in the air, pop music plays at just the right volume in the background. There are a handful of other customers scattered around, some with a friend or two, some by themselves and on their phones. Lio’s gaze wanders toward where the staff are clustered in their workspace, spotting one of them relay some anecdote to Galo with a huge grin filled with mischief. Lio recognizes him, the one with the wild, unruly reddish hair barely tamed by the cap he wears as part of the store uniform. He's seen him around the previous times he’d passed by. He remembers there’s another lanky guy too, one with long dark hair usually tied into a ponytail and who sometimes looks like he hasn’t slept in days. He doesn’t seem to be on duty at the moment. 

Lio looks away before he can be caught staring, instinctively reaching for his phone in his pocket and accessing his social media feed out of habit. He scrolls down and down, barely even reading anything, only finding comfort in the familiar motions. He hears the blender going off back at the drink counter, then the tapping of a plastic cup against a hard surface and the snap of a lid in place. 

“Here you go,” Galo says as he returns and places the drink on the table for Lio. Lio mutters his thanks, moving to remove the straw from its packaging as Galo takes a seat across him. He tries not to feel too self-conscious while Galo awaits his verdict with obvious enthusiasm written across his face. 

The first sip is sour enough for Lio to feel it in the corners of his jaw, but it’s good once the sensation passes. The drink is smooth, refreshing, at just the right level of sweetness. Lio definitely prefers this to the first one he’d gotten. 

“I like it,” Lio decides, and Galo beams. 

“That’s great to hear!” Then as his gaze softens, he adds, “And again, thanks for all your hard work, Lio.” 

“It’s all part of the job, really,” Lio insists, though he feels a little warm at the appreciation, nonetheless. It’s often a thankless role, despite how busy and understaffed they can get at times. 

“ _Still.”_ Galo’s adamant too, but he doesn’t dwell on it long. He glances away instead, his tone hesitant when he speaks again. “Also, uhm. Sorry ‘bout the other day.” 

Lio pauses mid-sip and blinks, not quite sure where he’s coming from. “What do you mean?” 

“I realized I might’ve accidentally hyped you up after everything I said the day before,” Galo says, sounding sheepish. “I honestly forgot I was supposed to have the day off...sorry if I ended up disappointing you or something...” 

“No, no, I don’t mind at all but,” Lio can’t help but smile, amused that it’s something that’s even possible. “Don’t most people usually remember _especially_ their days off?” 

“W-Well I guess I was—” Galo stammers, eyes still averted as he rubs the side of his neck— “ _kinda_ looking forward to see you again so...?” 

“You know we can always arrange to meet some other time now that we’ve exchanged numbers,” Lio points out, miraculously not choking on his drink despite the dangerous spike in his pulse from Galo’s admission. Cool and steady, Lio Fotia. Cool and steady. 

“Oh, yeah, now that you mention it.” Galo laughs in embarrassment, sounding like it genuinely hadn’t crossed his mind. Lio’s fingers clench around his cup just a little harder. _God_ he’s so adorable he can’t _stand_ it. But calm thoughts, Fotia. Calm thoughts. 

“So what do you think? Maybe we could hang out together one of these days? Go grab a meal or something.” 

No stutter in sight. Nailed it. 

“If we can match our schedules, then why not?” Galo easily agrees, and Lio has to physically restrain himself from taking an extra large suck of his drink. It’s happening. It’s... _not exactly_ a date—they’re not at that stage of friendship yet. More like a bonding time? If it can even be considered one. Not that Lio’s sure it can even happen given how unpredictable his shifts in Burning Rescue could be. And Galo could very well only be humoring him, trying not to hurt his feelings by not outwardly rejecting his invitation. Lio shouldn’t get his hopes up. 

“But enough of all that, how’s everything going? What have you been up to?” 

Galo asks, and Lio looks up to meet his undivided attention. All wide blue eyes and raised eyebrows and wayward smiles. And ah, it dawns Lio. Galo can probably only spare a few minutes more before he has to get back to work. Lio figures he should at the very least get the most out of the time they have at the moment. There's plenty of chances for him to stress over the possibility of their next meeting after this. 

So he sets down his drink, sits a little straighter and leans a little forward in his seat. And he begins telling Galo about whatever’s happened since the last time they met. 

**xXx**

It’s been a while since Lio had someone to speak to like this. 

He gets along just fine with his teammates, don’t get him wrong. It’s just... they’ve never felt to be on the kind of terms where they’d casually talk about their time away from work. They'd only bring things up when they’re especially unusual, like the time Varys ended up adopting an entire family of cats after the mother gave birth in his garden shed or when Aina had a little too much to drink one night and ended up passing out on her sister’s doorstep and almost getting an ambulance called on her because she’d refused to respond. They’ve each got their own lives outside of work, and they mostly don’t deem it necessary to share unsolicited. Lio isn’t one to trample on this obvious boundary. 

Lio doesn’t have too many friends, either. He’s lost contact with quite a few, and he often feels awkward about reaching out to the remaining ones out of the blue. They'd exchange short texts every once in a while and that’s it. They're all busy and don’t often have the energy to keep up long, spontaneous conversations made up of mostly small talk. Lio knows he sure doesn’t. 

It’s bothered him too, in Galo’s case. That maybe he’d be oversharing, overstepping his boundaries by suddenly laying out too much when they’re barely past being mere acquaintances. What could he even say? What's even there to talk about that wouldn’t bore him to death? His days really aren’t all that interesting. Would Galo be interested in knowing that Burning Rescue had once again been called in recently to free some kid who got a limb or two stuck in some random furniture just for a bit of internet fame? Or about the morning Lio accidentally overslept and remained out cold and oblivious until the twentieth missed call from his teammates? He doesn’t know. 

But for all his boundless, restless energy, Galo listens well. Lio can’t really explain it. There's an air to him that feels like an encouragement, a genuine curiosity that makes Lio want to share. Or perhaps it’s just him who misses such conversations more than he realized, subconsciously jumping at the opportunity to hold one as soon as it’s presented to him. 

“Sorry that I ended up taking so much of your time today,” Lio sends the text after thinking it over for a good painfully self-conscious half-hour. He really hopes Galo didn’t get in trouble for stepping away from work for too long. He wouldn’t know how to face him again if he did. 

“Noooo don’t sweat it!! It was nice hearing from u!!” Galo’s response comes a couple of hours later, presumably after he finishes his shift. “ur encounters w mad burnish sound real wild 😬😬😬😬” 

Lio’s glad that that amused him, at the very least. He still feels bad that he’d done most of the talking, though. Like he’d just dumped everything on Galo at one go without giving him a chance to share on his end. He'd love to hear more about him next, he summons to courage to text. About Galo’s own days, the things he likes, the weird or annoying customers he’s come across. Lio would love to hear about his life as a Burnish too, on how he learnt to control his fire so well, if he knows the reason why Lio can sometimes hear the laughter of children from the flames. 

As far as Lio knows, Burnish flames have always been able to vocalize. Lio can recognize their roars and screeches in his sleep. But no one has ever told him about the laughter before. It's...unnerving. Too human-like. Lio had tried asking Ignis about it, but the Captain hadn’t been able to provide the explanation he sought, having not experienced it even once throughout his entire career. Lio hasn't been able to find out much about it online, either. Maybe he’d just imagined it—though why, he hasn’t figured out. And it’d only started so recently, too. 

Lio’s attempted to go over the little clues he has again and again. So far there had been two instances where he’d heard them. Once from Galo during the Awakening incident, and the other in the presence of Mad Burnish’s current Boss. 

Lio doubts the matchstick would know how to answer even if he does bother to ask, so he’s left with Galo as his remaining source of reference. Could it be something that happens when the Burnish in question has an incredible grasp of their powers? Wouldn’t that put Galo on par with the current Mad Burnish leader in terms of ability, in that case? Lio struggles to wrap his head around it. 

“Of course, just lemme know when's the next time u’ll be free! It’s easier for me to match my schedule to urs I think” 

Lio wonders if Galo realizes how comforting his eager responses are, if he’s aware that Lio’s still feeling a little awkward around him and is consciously trying to break the remaining ice between them. Either way, he appreciates it. He sends his reply, assuring that he’ll definitely inform him once he can confirm. Then he excuses himself, saying he’s got to finish up with some chores before going to bed. 

“You should get some rest too,” he adds. Then with a little flutter in his chest, he types out something he hasn’t told another in a long time, and presses send. 

Galo’s reply is almost instantaneous, its arrival announced with a quiet buzz of Lio’s phone. Lio reads over the text, and marvels at how much joy he can feel simply from being wished a good night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> but yeah i forgot how tricky it can be to write a relationship from scratch without dragging things on ooof  
> i hope the chapter wasn't too slow aaaAAA maybe ill pick up the pace a little bit from now on because i really wanna get to the Good Stuff too,,,but we'll see,,,,,


End file.
